12 August

A Perseid meteor image, recorded by an ESA video image intensifier camera
27 FEB. 2004 publication date 4191 Views

On 12 August, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower occurs, when skywatchers can expect to see possibly 80-100 meteors per hour if skies are clear.

The Perseids are visible between 23 July and 22 August as Earth enters and moves through a cloud of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Dust-sized particles hit our atmosphere and appear to streak across the night sky. At first there are usually just a few meteors each night, but then the rate builds until 12 August.


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